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Good Sleep 101 Guide

Below are some simple, science-backed habits proven to help make a difference in how well you sleep. Read through them and decide which ones are right for you. 

  • Clean up clutter and distracting items like work materials, pieces of paper, or piles of clothes 

Clutter preoccupies your mind and leaves you anxious or stressed at bedtime. Studies show that clutter triggers cortisol (your stress hormone) which makes it harder to fall (and stay) asleep. 

  • Minimize blue light 

The content on these devices can leave your mind racing, leading to unwanted stress hormones (cortisol) and more sleep challenges. But that’s not all. Blue light emitted from smartphones, computer screens, and televisions can suppress your body’s natural production of melatonin, the hormone that promotes sleep. 

If your device offers a “night mode,” start using that as soon as the sun sets, and invest in a pair of blue-light blocking glasses (Dr. Vora recommends Uvex). Starting 30 minutes before bed, try to reduce your screens to zero. If you use a smartphone or tablet for books, stick to just that function and use both night mode and blue-light blocking glasses.

In addition, make sure to also cover any small power lights with black tape, paper, or clothing. Even when your eyes are closed, blue light in the room can affect you and disrupt REM sleep, which causes you to wake up tired and groggy, no matter how many solid hours you put in.

  • Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol 

Caffeine and nicotine are both stimulants, and as long as they’re in your body, sleep will be more challenging. To make sure they’ve fully cleared from your system, cut them out six and two hours before bed, respectively. 

As for alcohol, though it’s a sedative and might make you feel more sleepy, the sleep you get isn't restorative because alcohol interrupts the circadian rhythm and blocks REM sleep. On nights when you drink, you’ll sleep better if you limit the amount and stop at least four hours before bedtime.

  • If you can’t fall asleep, don’t toss and turn 

One of the biggest barriers to sleep is stress, and sometimes that can come in the form of stress about sleep. To keep this in check, if it’s been more than 20 minutes, stop trying to sleep. Keep the lights dim, so your body will  keep pumping out melatonin, and do something relaxing, like reading a book for 20-30 minutes or until you feel drowsy enough to fall asleep. 

  • Keep the room cool

Studies have shown that when the temperature is too high, it takes longer to fall asleep and the quality and duration of sleep are degraded. This is because, as part of your sleep cycle, your body temperature drops throughout the night and then rises back up as you wake up. Warm sleeping environments prevent the body from getting its temperature low enough, leading to poor sleep. 

To ensure that your body temperature stays in optimal range, keep the temperature of your room in the mid-60s—around 65 degrees fahrenheit, according to the National Sleep Foundation, or cooler if you like to sleep with heavy blankets. 

  • Make sure everything’s dark 

Darkness signals your body to produce melatonin, which is important because melatonin increases not only sleepiness, but also the length and quality of your sleep. In one study, exposure to room light during sleep cut melatonin production by a full 50%. 

Use blackout curtains or a sleep mask if your windows let any distracting light in at night, or if it gets especially bright when the sun comes up in the morning. For blackout curtains, Freemansburg Bellino and IKEA rate well with experts. As for sleep masks, Nidra and Bucky are good quality and don’t press on your eyes.

  • Cancel out disruptive noise

Noise can be another sleep sabotager because it keeps our bodies on the alert. Ear plugs can help mitigate this by softening the noise and tuning out the most extreme pitches (Mack’s is a particularly effective brand). Another clinically-proven approach is a sound machine, which will override the disruptive sounds with noises that occur at a low, consistent tone that our bodies associate with calm (air conditioner, rain, ocean waves, etc). 

Some research has even shown that these sounds can promote a deeper and more stable state of sleep than no noise at all. For an actual machine, the LectroFan and the Dohm are two good models. Free apps such as mynoise and Sleep Aid Fan can also do the trick.